Layshia Renee Clarendon (born May 2, 1991) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who is currently a free agent. Clarendon is the first openly

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

WNBA player, and the first active WNBA player to complete a top surgery.

Career

Clarendon completed their college career at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 2013. The 2012–2013 season saw them become a leader of the team and received national recognition for their abilities, culminating in their place as a finalist for the Senior Class Award. According to Clarendon's coach

Lindsay Gottlieb Lindsay Catherine Gottlieb (born October 2, 1977) is an American basketball coach who is the women's head coach for the USC Trojans women's basketball, USC Trojans of the Pac-12 Conference. She was previously the head coach of the California Golde ...

, " larendon wasvocal in terms of helping us achieve those goals and being a leader off the court and talking to their teammates, but you're never necessarily going to notice that on the court." For the 2012–2013 regular season, the Clarendon-led Bears lived up to expectations, compiling a 28–2 record (excluding the Pac-12 Tournament) and earning a 2nd seed in the NCAA tournament. Clarendon and the Bears also enjoyed post season success, resulting in the team's first Final Four appearance. The Bears lost in the national semifinals to

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

USA National Team

Clarendon was named to the USA Women's U19 team which represented the US in the 2009 U19 World's Championship, held in

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population ...

in July and August 2009. Clarendon scored 4.5 points per game, and helped the USA team to an 8–1 record and the gold medal.

WNBA

Indiana Fever (2013–2015)

Clarendon was selected 9th overall in the 2013 WNBA draft by the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...

. During Clarendon's rookie year, they played in 30 games and averaged just under 20 minutes per game. Clarendon played 3 years for the Fever helping make the playoffs in every year that they were part of the team. They reached the

WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...

in their last season with the Fever, falling just short of a title.

Atlanta Dream (2016–2018)

On May 2, the Fever traded Clarendon to the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real ...

in exchange for a 2nd Round Pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft. Clarendon immediately became the Dream's starting point guard in their first season – starting 32 out of 34 games. In their first start for the Dream, Clarendon set a new career-high with 19 points and grabbed six boards in 31 minutes of action against their former team – the Indiana Fever. They also had a career-high with 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists in the Dream's win over the Connecticut Sun. On February 1, Clarendon signed a multi-year deal with the Dream - bringing them back to Atlanta for the 2017 season. Clarendon again had a fantastic season making their 1st All-Star game. At the All-Star game, Clarendon recorded 14 points and 10 assists. Clarendon also registered a "unofficial" triple double during the year when they recorded 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Atlanta's overtime win over

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. The league reviewed the stats and ultimately took away 2 assists and Clarendon's triple double was taken away. During the 2018 season, Clarendon played 18 games with the Dream before being traded to the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

Connecticut Sun (2018–2019)

Clarendon joined the Sun midway through the season and played in 15 games for the Sun. They averaged 5.4 points per game and 2.7 assists. They scored a season-high 14 points in the Sun's victory over the Lynx on August 17. Clarendon was hoping to be a key reserve for the Sun going into the 2019 season but their season got derailed after sustaining an ankle injury that required surgery. After surgery, Clarendon was expected to be out for three-to-four months. The Sun had a very successful season making it all the way to the WNBA Finals and Clarendon was hoping to make it back in time to play, but ultimately wasn't ready and healthy to play.

New York Liberty (2020–2021)

Clarendon signed with the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...

on February 10. Coach

Walt Hopkins Walt Hopkins is the former American basketball head coach for the New York Liberty of the WNBA. Education and early career Hopkins earned a B.A. in English writing from the University of Nevada. He then earned master's degrees from Harvard Unive ...

stated that Clarendon "is an elite facilitator and floor general with an extremely high basketball IQ... 'not only leads vocally, but also by consistently modeling a tireless work ethic and respect for those around her. She is going to be a massive boon to our roster and our team culture – both on, and off of the court.'" Clarendon was expected to be a mentor to incoming #1 Draft Pick

Sabrina Ionescu Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...

. When Ionescu went down with an ankle injury, Clarendon became a bigger part of the team. Clarendon stepped into a starting role with the Liberty and averaged career-highs in field goal percentage with 46.5% and points with 11.5. They also averaged 2.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. Clarendon made the 2021 Liberty roster, but only played 3 minutes in the Opening Night game vs the

. After failing to appear in the next two games for the Liberty, Clarendon was waived from the roster.

Minnesota Lynx (2021)

Clarendon signed a hardship contract with the Lynx on May 31 due to the Lynx falling under the roster number due to multiple injuries. Clarendon played that night for the Lynx and sparked a run to help the Lynx get their first win of the season. Clarendon finished with 12 points that game. Due to how hardship contracts work, Clarendon had to be released multiple times once the injured players became healthy. Unfortunately for the Lynx, they continued to have injuries to many players, which worked out well for Clarendon, as they continued to be signed to the Lynx. On July 2, 2021, Clarendon was able to sign with the Lynx on a Rest of the Season deal. Clarendon had a strong season for the Lynx, but struggled as the year ended with a right fibula injury. She finished the season averaging 10.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. During the 2022 offseason, Clarendon signed to return to Minnesota. On May 3, 2022, after going through all of training camp with the Lynx, Clarendon was waived and did not make the final roster.

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 30 , , 4 , , 19.4 , , .331, , .259 , , .409 , , 1.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 29 , , 3 , , 13.7 , , .402 , , .316 , , .708 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 29 , , 12 , , 20.8 , , .445 , , .406 , , .765 , , 2.7 , , 2.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 1.6 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 34 , , 32 , , 28.2 , , .466 , , .346 , , .765 , , 4.3 , , 3.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 2.2 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 34 , , 33 , , 29.8 , , .378 , , .180 , , .879 , , 3.8 , , 6.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 2.6 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 18 , , 4 , , 17.3 , , .329 , , .143 , , .800 , , 2.1 , , 1.7 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 15.9 , , .492 , , .000 , , .826 , , 1.6 , , 2.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .419 , , 1.000 , , .857 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.9 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 19 , , 19 , , 26.1 , , .465 , , .341 , , .873 , , 2.5 , , 3.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.0 , , 3.4 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 21 , , 20 , , 25.7 , , .517 , , .357 , , .784 , , 3.1 , , 5.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , 9 years, 5 teams , 239 , , 127 , , 22.1 , , .424 , , .292 , , .793 , , 2.7 , , 3.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.0 , , 1.9 , , 7.6

Postseason

, - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .476 , , .600 , , .250 , , 0.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.5 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .231 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.8 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 6.1 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 2 , , 2 , , 32.0 , , .533 , , .250 , , .625 , , 6.0 , , 6.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 1 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0, , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left" ,

, style="text-align:left" ,

, 1 , , 1 , , 12.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left" , Career , style="text-align:left" , 6 years, 4 teams , 22 , , 3 , , 10.9 , , .435 , , .333 , , .571 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 3.0

Activism

In 2015, Clarendon won Outsports' "Female Hero of the Year", for using their platform in support of

LGBTQ+ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

people in sports. Clarendon stated that they wish to "open closet doors for women across sports". In 2017, Clarendon discussed the issues within the WNBA in regards to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. Clarendon stated that during their early career playing for the Indiana Fever, the team was attempting to include LGBTQ+ individuals by participating in a "Diversity Night" during Pride month, which Clarendon felt was confusingly named, as a way to avoid the true purpose of Pride month. As Clarendon began playing for other teams, they stated that they saw the league becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, the WNBA and the Players Association branded the upcoming season "Social Justice Season", to emphasize issues including race, gun violence, LGBTQ+ advocacy. Clarendon was named as one of the players on the league's Social Justice Council, which was tasked with engaging community conversations, advocacy, and education on topics surrounding social justice. The beginning of the 2020 season saw Clarendon involved in protest around the

shooting of Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020, when at least seven police officers forced entry into the apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing op ...

and the "Say her Name" campaign which had begun in 2014.

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

was also a predominant message and was visible on the courts during the season. The Commissioner of the WNBA,

Cathy Engelbert Catherine Engelbert is an American business executive and Commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Before joining the WNBA, she had been with Deloitte for 33 years, including as its first female CEO from 2015 to 2019. E ...

, has shown her support for Clarendon by saying, "We are so proud that Layshia is part of the WNBA and we know that their voice and continued advocacy will not only support and help honor and uplift many other non-binary and trans people." The New York Liberty and the WNBA players' union have also shown their support for the transition. The owner of the New York Liberty team,

Joseph Tsai Joseph Tsai (; born January 1964) is a Hong Kong-Canadian billionaire businessman, lawyer, and philanthropist. He is a co-founder and executive vice chairman of the Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba Group and owns the Brooklyn Net ...

released a statement supporting Clarendon saying that they are "a proud embodiment of our belief that our strength lies in our truth and no one should live constrained by societal boundaries."

Personal life

In 2017, Clarendon married Jessica Dolan. Clarendon and Dolan announced the birth of "#babyC" on December 25, 2020, and have yet to release the name or gender of the baby. Clarendon later stated they were raising "Baby C" with gender expansiveness. Circa 2020, Clarendon came out as non-binary. Clarendon uses she/her, they/them and he/him pronouns. In 2015, Clarendon identified as "black, gay, female, non-cisgender and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

". In 2021, Clarendon underwent chest masculinization surgery to remove breast tissue.

College statistics

Source

References

External links

*
Cal Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarendon, Layshia 1991 births Living people American women's basketball players Atlanta Dream players Basketball players from California California Golden Bears women's basketball players Connecticut Sun players Indiana Fever draft picks Indiana Fever players LGBT basketball players LGBT people from California American LGBT sportspeople Lesbian sportswomen Minnesota Lynx players New York Liberty players Non-binary sportspeople Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) Shooting guards Sportspeople from San Bernardino, California Transgender sportspeople Transgender non-binary people United States women's national basketball team players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars